Meeting Ana

Chapter One

Christian

RUIN was a mixture of darkness, shadows, and blaring music. I walked through the crowd, feeling intense eyes settle on me as I migrated toward the bar. My face was recognizable because I didn’t wear a mask.

           

But that wasn’t necessary here.

It was the only BDSM club where I could show my face. Everyone here kept their sights and thoughts to themselves. When people looked at the women dressed in leather and chains, and the men with their whips, no one said a damn thing.

And all secrets remained in RUIN.

I reached the bar and spotted Jackson manning the booze.

He looked at me, instantly recognizing me in my black suit. “Cal is in the office.” He answered my unspoken question.

I just gave him a nod.

I headed to the back of the club on the second floor. When I passed a group of women, they immediately gave me the eye. I was clearly a Dom without a sub. It was obvious to anyone who existed in this universe.

I knocked before I walked inside Cal’s office.

Calloway Owens sat at his pitch black desk, a tinted window right behind him. It overlooked the alleyway and the adjacent building. On the ground, against the building, were two people going at it, unable to wait until they got home after paying RUIN a visit.

He was reading something on his iPad when he noticed me. “Christian.”

“Calloway.” I slid into the armchair facing his desk.

“How’s Leila?”

“Gone.” I crossed my legs and stared at the hard features of his face. He had a strong jaw just like his late father, and his crystal blue eyes were unnerving in their clearness.

“Sorry to hear that.”

           

I held his gaze and didn’t say a word. All good things came to an end, and what Leila and I had was over. Women came and went, and in their eyes, men like me came and went as well. “Don’t be.”

“Looking for someone new, then?”

“I suppose.”

           

Calloway tossed his iPad on the desk and stared me down. “Isabella might know someone.”

Isabella was his current submissive. It was the longest Dom-sub relationship he’d ever had, and he wore the ring of obsidian to show their exclusivity. Personally, I’d never worn such a ring. “I’m sure I’ll find someone when I’m meant to.”

“So, what brings you here?” Calloway wasn’t one for small talk. He was usually right to the point, probably why the two of us got along so well.

He owned and operated a non-profit company in the city. Its goals were to aid people in need, particularly within the community. Together, we’d organized food drives domestically as well as overseas. He and I were both creatures of the dark with our rules and fetishes, but we were also white knights—sometimes. “Want to talk to you about our Food Network project.”

           

“And?”

“That’s it, Cal.”

“Interesting that you chose to come to RUIN at this time of night if all you want to discuss is business.” He gave me that knowing look, calling bullshit on my excuse. “I think you have an ulterior motive.”

I didn’t argue against his accusation. “Have any playrooms available for the night?”

He grinned from ear-to-ear, showing his straight teeth and million-dollar smile. “You know I do.”

***

The playroom was dark, a single large bed in the center of the room. Cable ties sprinkled the dresser in the corner, and leather bindings hung from the ceiling to suspend someone a few feet in front of the bed.

I took a seat in the corner and watched the action.

“On your knees.” Calloway made the demand without raising his voice, his tone impossible to challenge.

Isabella did as she was commanded. She fell to her knees on the ground, her hair in a braid over one shoulder. She stared at the floor and remained silent, taking her obedient position without a single thought in her mind.

Calloway removed his jacket and tossed it on the nearby dresser. Then he undid all the buttons of his gray collared shirt until it came loose. He tossed it on top of his jacket, standing shirtless with the muscles of a man who devoted his life to physical perfection.

He grabbed a whip from the display case then ran it across her shoulders, from one end to the other. The leather moved across her skin, slowly and seductively. He suddenly gave her a quick tap just above her ass.

She released a quiet moan, restraining herself from calling out his name from that simple touch. She wanted more. She wanted more pain, more touches. But she didn’t ask for any because she wasn’t allowed to.

Calloway swatted her again, hitting her right above her crack.

She moaned again, her head down and her hands resting on her thighs.

“Head down.” Calloway’s authority rang through the air. “Ass up.”

Like an animal, she morphed her body. Her ass was on display for me to see, and she didn’t seem to care that a stranger watched her. Her pussy was slick and wet, ready for him whenever he chose to take her.

Calloway swatted her hard on the ass, immediately making the skin redden.

She hissed between her teeth.

He rubbed the leather against the skin gently, comforting her. “Count to ten, Isabella. And that last one didn’t count.” Without warning, he struck her hard.

She hissed between her teeth again. “One.”

Another swat to her right cheek.

“Two.” She moaned and cried out at the same time.

The skin became redder. Calloway struck her again, this time harder.

She moaned into the ground.

“Count,” he demanded.

She spoke the number immediately. “Three.”

He changed the whip to the other cheek, showing her some mercy.

“Four,” she breathed.

He tapped the leather against her reddening skin.

“Five.”

I watched the interaction, missing the high of control. I missed holding that whip and making commands. I missed having a submissive bow to me, allowing me to do whatever I wished. Watching Calloway wasn’t the same as the real thing, but it was better than nothing.

“Six.” She clenched her hips once he hit her again. “Seven.”

For the last three, he struck her hard. Each slap was nearly brutal.

“Eight.” She whimpered with both pain and pleasure. “Nine…”

He rubbed the leather against her ass before he whipped her harder than ever, making the last one count.

This time she screamed. “Ten.”

He spun the whip in his hand until he held the end. Then he extended it to me. “Would you like a go, Mr. Grey?”

I eyed the whip in his hands, the need suddenly powerful and irrefutable. That red skin made my breathing irregular, and my natural dictatorship came to the surface. I grabbed the whip and stood up, feeling my spine straighten with power.

Calloway stepped to the side and yielded the floor.

Chapter Two

Christian

Andrea’s voice came into the intercom. “Calloway Owens from Humanitarians United is here to see you, sir.”

I hit the button before I spoke. “Send him in.”

           

Calloway walked inside, looking crisp in a dark suit. A shiny watch was on his wrist, and his dress shoes were nearly as polished as my floor. He sat in the chair facing my desk, and I couldn’t help but notice that we were in opposite positions from where we were the other night.

He rested his elbows on the arm rests and interlocked his fingers together. “Had fun the other night?”

“Immensely.” I didn’t fuck his submissive because they were exclusive. His obsidian ring told me she was off-limits. But I did step into my dominance with her, making her do things to herself that I got to enjoy. I’d shared a submissive with him before in the same way—with no fucking.

“I think she enjoyed it as well.” There wasn’t jealousy in his eyes. “But I think it’s time you stepped back into the game.”

“I agree.” I was picky when it came to submissives. It usually took me a while before I found the right one. Sometimes Elena connected me with women who seemed to be the right fit. But right now, she didn’t have any recommendations.

“You know me, Christian. I’m always here to help.”

“I’ll let you know if I need any.”

He clapped his hands together once and cleared his throat. “Shall we get down to business, then?”

“Yes. But I have one more question.”

“Fire away, Mr. Grey.”

“Why are you monogamous with Isabella if you don’t mind sharing her?” I wasn’t the jealous type, but I didn’t like sharing my partners with other men, unless they were one-time events. When a submissive was mine, I wanted to be the only one to enjoy her. That kind of possessiveness was rare in my world—extremely. Calloway knew that.

He took his time before he answered the question. “We go way back, Christian. I guess that’s why.”

That still didn’t answer my question, but that was all he would give me. “Let’s start with the first quarter reports.”

“Alright.”

***

After work, I went across the street to the coffee shop. Taylor or Andrea normally attended to my mediocre requests, but I needed some fresh air. The surge of control I felt the other night made me feel whole once more. But once it was gone, I was lost again.

I knew I needed a new submissive. It’d been three months since Leila. It was time for me to move on.

I entered the coffee shop and stood in line, hearing the bell ring overhead once the door opened. Like always, I examined my surroundings to detect unforeseen threats. Most of the people sitting at the tables were college kids with their laptops. But I spotted one unusual sight.

In the corner table was a woman with dark brown hair that reached past her shoulders. She had a pen in her mouth and she was biting on it as she read her computer screen. Her blue eyes scanned back and forth as she read the words.

Those plump lips looked delectable, absolutely delicious.

When she pulled the pen out of her mouth, she took some notes on her notepad. But then she bit her lip with the absence of the pen.

And that got me hard.

Harder than I was the other night with Isabella.

I ordered my coffee then walked to one of the tables. Taking a seat so we were in line with each other’s sight, I sat there and sipped my drink. I’d never done something like this before. I never went out of my way to talk to a woman that I didn’t know anything about. She wore a baggy gray sweater and old jeans, looking like she just finished working outside. But somehow, she looked beautiful despite all the things working against her.

I drank my coffee and crossed my legs, wondering if and when she would notice me.

And then she did.

She looked up from her computer when she felt my hot stare on her face. Her blue eyes found mine, and they immediately flinched when we made eye contact. She looked away and pretended to read her computer screen.

But then she snuck another peek at me.

And I was still watching her.

Her cheeks flushed a beautiful shade of pink, contrasting against her fair skin. Nervous or aroused, she bit her lip again.

I was gonna bite that lip eventually.

She grew flustered and shifted her weight in her seat several times. She didn’t take notes like she did before because she was obviously nervous—terrified. My simple gaze put her on display, and she didn’t like the attention one bit.

Interesting.

I ignored the protests coming from deep inside me and moved from my table to hers. I dropped into the chair across from her and set my coffee down. I could easily see over her computer, studying all the features of her face, including the tiny freckles that sprinkled her nose. “Christian Grey.” I didn’t extend my hand to shake hers. The computer was still between us.

“Uh…hi.” She moved her laptop to the side rather than closing it, and since she wasn’t paying attention to what she was doing, she nearly knocked it off. It tipped over the edge and spiraled toward the ground.

Since I knew it was about to happen, I grabbed it and placed it back on the table. This time, I closed the screen.

She gave me the same nervous expression.

“I didn’t catch your name.”

It took her several seconds to recover from her embarrassment. “Ana.”

“Ana, what?”

“Steel.”

“Is Ana short for something?”

“Anastasia.”

I would love to say that name while I fucked her. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Anastasia.”

“Everyone calls me Ana.”

I’m not everyone. I glanced at her notepad and read the notes she took. “Applying for a job?”

“I just moved here last week,” she explained. “I just graduated from college.”

She was younger than me by a few years. That was okay. Age didn’t matter to me. “What’s your discipline?”

“English. I want to go into publishing.”

I nodded in understanding. “We have a great intern program at Grey House.”

“Thank you,” she said in surprise. “But I could never accept.”

“Why not?”

She never gave an answer. It was clear she knew who I was because she didn’t ask about Grey House. She didn’t ask me how I could get her an internship. It wasn’t clear if she recognized me by face or by name.

She suddenly packed her stuff away in her bag, like leaving her items out gave up critical information about herself. “I’m a fan of your company and all the humanitarian work you’ve done. My friend Kate interviewed you for our school newspaper a few months ago.”

I distantly recalled the blonde who came into my office about three months earlier. I couldn’t remember her features well because I didn’t care about them. She was blonde, and I never cared for blondes. “What a small world.”

“She said you were very polite…and intimidating.”

I like to be intimidating. “And she was very nice. Had a lot of great questions for me—except when she asked if I were gay.”

Anastasia tried to hide the chuckle she involuntarily made. Her cheeks blushed all over again.

“And of course, I told her I wasn’t.” I wanted this sexy creature to understand that perfectly well.

“I still can’t believe she asked that.”

“I admire her audacity. Just not sure where it’s going to get her in life.”

“I’m not sure either,” she said quietly. Her gaze locked on mine again, and she fell quiet as the tension rose between us. She was skittish and wary, like a submissive looking for a command. She was shy, needing a man to give her direction. She was perfect in every way—especially that pale skin that could turn red so quickly. “Anastasia, will you have dinner with me tomorrow night?”

Her skin paled at the question, like she hadn’t been expecting it whatsoever. “Me?”

“Yes. You.” I stared her down harder, wishing I could grab her right then and there.

“I…uh.” She searched for a response but couldn’t think of one.

I knew she wanted to see me again. She bit her lip so many times now that it was a dead giveaway. “I’ll pick you up at seven.”

“You don’t have my address.”

I searched her blue eyes and pictured them bubbling with small tears as I reddened her ass with my palm. “I don’t need it.”

Chapter Three

Christian

I arrived at her small apartment dressed in the gray suit and tie. I intended to take her to one of my favorite places downtown, a restaurant with enormous booths that were perfect for privacy.

She answered the door in a black dress with a light jacket. It was better than what she wore the day before, but her clothes didn’t really matter. Those eyes, that skin, and those lips made her breathtaking.

           

I couldn’t wait until the end of the night.

“You look beautiful.”

Right on cue, her cheeks blushed. “Thank you…”

I extended my arm so she could take it. As soon as she did, Kate’s face appeared in the doorway.

“Hello, Mr. Grey.” She had the same spunk as she did before and a smile that wouldn’t quit.

“Hello, Miss Kavanagh.” Her interview with me at Grey House had been ordinary. She asked the same kind of questions everyone else asked, nothing particularly interesting. But she did blurt out a question no one else ever had the balls—or stupidity—to ask.

She eyed Ana with motherly affection, like she planned to interrogate her the second the date was over.

I hoped it wouldn’t be tonight.

***

Ana didn’t seem particularly knowledgeable about wine, so I ordered a bottle for the table. Deep red and dry, it paired perfectly with nearly anything on the menu. Glasses of water sat on the table next to our plates at the booth in the corner. The lights were dim and the candles burned low.

She sat across from me, as tense as she was in the coffee house. When her eyes landed on mine, her need was obvious in the look. Her lips were full and desperate to be kissed, and she bit them far too many times than a normal woman should.

If she didn’t want to be bitten.

I didn’t ask too many questions about her personally. I’d gotten all the necessary information from Taylor. I knew where she went to school, that she grew up with her mother, and her stepfather was the closest thing to a father she’d ever had. She was a smart woman, graduating with a perfect GPA. Withdrawn and quiet, she hid a whole world of information behind those beautiful eyes.

I wanted to know everything about her.

I wanted to know where she liked to be kissed. I wanted to know how she tasted—how every inch of her tasted. I wanted to use my cable ties on her wrists and suspend her from the ceiling, tie her to my headboard, and make her mine in every way possible. I wanted the leather from my whip to bite that pale skin, making it red with discomfort.

Now I wasn’t sure if I could get through dinner.

“How’s the job search?” It was one of the few things I finally asked her. Honestly, I just wanted to see her lips move.

“Good. I applied for a few positions today. I hope I get something soon.”

           

With a GPA like hers, I doubted it would be too difficult.

“I love Kate, but I don’t want a roommate forever.”

I’d prefer it if she lived alone as well.

“How’s work?” She didn’t phrase the question with much confidence, like asking me about my empire was somehow rude.

“Good. I had a few meetings. Nothing too interesting.”

She broke off a piece of bread and popped it into her mouth. The woman hardly ate anything. Most of her food was untouched. I would normally assume she was nervous, but since her frame was so slender, it was obvious she didn’t eat much regularly.

Annoying.

“Do you have family here?” she asked.

“My parents are in Escala. My brother Elliot is as well. Mia is in Paris right now.”

“Is that your sister?”

           

I nodded.

“Must be nice to see them regularly. I miss my mom sometimes. But there’s no way I could live with her. Much too hot.”

And that was too far away from me. “Anastasia, do you have a boyfriend?”

“Call me Ana.”

I narrowed my eyes in irritation when she didn’t answer my question right away. Stating the way she wanted to be addressed seemed more important than giving me the information I needed. “Ana, do you have a boyfriend?”

“No.” She chuckled like the question was absurd.

That was the answer I was hoping for. Since she was having dinner with me at this very moment, I could only assume she was available. “I don’t see the humor in the question.”

“I haven’t dated anyone in a long time.”

Even better.

She nibbled on her bread again, avoiding eye contact with me.

“Look at me.”

She immediately looked up, responding to the command.

Fuck, she was perfect. That immediate response made all the muscles in my forearms tense. I could already picture her suspended from the ceiling while I stood underneath her.

Instead of saying a word, I just looked at her. With the thirteen women before her, I’d never had a woman so perfect. Ana’s natural shyness, her innate ability to yield the floor to me, made her abundantly perfect. I could imagine her as my submissive, the most talented one I’ve ever had in the playroom. I didn’t need to see her again to know what I wanted. I didn’t need to ask her a plethora of questions to know she was what I needed.

I just knew.

***

“Thank you for dinner.”

Even though you didn’t eat much of it. “You’re welcome, Miss Steele.”

           

She walked beside me, her arm tucked in mine. “You actually remember my last name?”

“I remember everything you’ve told me.” We arrived at the car and Taylor opened the door so we could sit in the back seat. I sat beside her against the window. While my hand ached to wrap around hers, I didn’t touch her.

“Where to, Mr. Grey?” Taylor asked from the front seat.

“RUIN.”

“Of course.” Taylor hit the button on the ceiling, and the divider rolled up until we were given our privacy.

Ana looked at me, but she didn’t ask the question that burned behind her eyes.

“There’s something I want to show you.”

She held my gaze, her eyes so bright they were nearly blinding.

I gave in to the desire and grabbed her hand, feeling the warmth of our fingers the second we touched. Hers were slender and long, the kind I wouldn’t want on my body. Feeling her touch in my hand was enough. But anything beyond that would be too difficult.

 Chapters 4-6 >>

Ms. Christian Grey

Meeting Ana

Chapter Four

Christian

RUIN was packed on Friday night. The second Ana and I walked inside, the blackness hit us. People danced with their drinks in hand, and men stood with their subs on leashes. We walked into the underworld. Although it was sinister and taboo, it was undeniably beautiful.

I looked at Ana to see her reaction.

She stared at the people and faces, sticking close to my side with bewilderment. She didn’t seem to know what to make of the sight.

I couldn’t tell if she’d ever been exposed to this lifestyle. She seemed so obedient, just like a submissive. There was a good chance she was just being modest.

A man leaning against a pillar eyed Anastasia with obvious dominance. Just in his expression, it was clear he wanted to spank her hard with his palm.

I wrapped my arm around her waist so no one would get the wrong idea.

When I reached the bar, I spotted Calloway standing at the counter with Isabella. She had a metal collar around her throat, leading to the chain wrapped around his hand, like she might try to get away. The metal contrasted against the fair color of his skin and his veined knuckles.

When Calloway noticed me, he eyed Ana with interest. Then he gave me his full attention. “I’m glad the search is over.”

           

Isabella looked at the floor, knowing better than to speak before she was directly spoken to by another Dom.

“It happened quicker than I expected.” I kept my arm tight around Ana, wanting every man in the world to know she was off-limits.

Calloway dug into his pocket until he pulled out a maroon-colored key. “She’s all yours, man. Have a good time.”

All Ana did was stare at the key as it dropped into my palm.

“Thanks.” I guided her up the stairs and to the second landing. There was a separate hallway for specialized playrooms, rooms reserved for VIP or Calloway Owens himself.

Ana came with me, but her breathing picked up noticeably.

I got the door unlocked and we walked inside. The bed was covered in nothing but red sheets, the play box was off to the right, and everything any Dom could ever need was ready to be used, sterilized and ready for fun.

I examined the cable ties and whips hanging from the display box, each unique to serve a different purpose. Just being in this room gave me a surge of power. I was a force not to be reckoned with, and I could feel my blood circulating with unparalleled strength. My breathing hitched slightly but only enough for me to detect.

I turned back to Ana, wanting to see the same arousal in her eyes that was undeniably in mine.

But there was none.

She stared at the leather straps hanging from the ceiling, her lips slightly parted with a look of shock mixed with interest. Her arms were crossed over her chest, hugging her slender frame. She remained by the door, not taking a step farther into the room but not walking out either.

“Ana.” I needed to know what she was thinking. Perhaps I couldn’t read her as well as I hoped.

“What is this place?”

The question told me she’d never set foot in a playroom before. This was all virgin territory for her.

So I did misread her. But it wasn’t the end of the world. Training a brand new submissive had its perks. I could train her to my preference, molding her into the perfect submissive that I could enjoy for months, perhaps years. “A playroom.”

She finally took a step inside, eyeing the various whips on display. “And you want to use these on me?”

I swallowed the lump in my throat as my dick hardened. “Yes.”

“And this building…what is it?”

She hadn’t figured that part out on her own. “The place is called RUIN. It’s a BDSM club.”

Her eyes told me she finally understood, but she still seemed to be confused. “Christian.”

I liked hearing her say my name. It had a nice ring to it, vulnerability mixed with poised sexiness.

“This…wasn’t what I was expecting.” She eyed the massive bed before she turned back to me, her arms still locked over her chest as some kind of shield.

“And what were you expecting?”

“What every girl expects. Dinner, flowers, romance…”

My arousal nearly disappeared. “I don’t do any of those things, Ana. This is what I do.” I glanced at the ceiling where the leather straps hung open, ready for a pair of slender wrists to be locked into place. “This is what I am.”

Her eyes never left my face. “Well, this isn’t what I am.”

Like I’d been shot, my stomach pooled with blood. “How will you know unless you try?”

“I don’t need to try.”

I came closer to her, and I noticed how her body reacted the same way it always did. She always moved into me slightly, not away. Her lips immediately parted like she needed to take a deep breath the second I was near. Her eyes brightened a little, her excitement unable to be denied. “I’m a Dominant, Ana. This is what I do. This is what I enjoy. And if you let me, I’ll make you enjoy it too.”

***

We sat across from each other at my dining table. Floor-to-ceiling windows took up the entire wall, showing the twinkling lights of Seattle in the distance. Drops of rain hit the glass before they streaked down, making the streetlights blur until they looked like small fireworks.

She looked down into her cup of tea, the steam billowing up toward the ceiling. Her hands cupped the glass like she was cold. Her nipples pressed against the fabric of her dress, making noticeable points.

I wanted to suck them raw.

My coffee sat beside me, untouched. She didn’t want to stay at RUIN a moment longer, but she wasn’t in a hurry to leave either. I brought her back to my apartment, and she seemed much more at home here. “What do you want to know?”

She pulled her gaze away from her tea. “What if I don’t want to do this? What if I just want to date the enigma that is Christian Grey?”

“There isn’t two versions of me. There’s just the one.”

She adjusted her tea bag before she placed it on the saucer, leaving her tea powerfully weak.

“I don’t do romance, Ana. I don’t do relationships or love. All I do is this.”

“Seems empty.”

“Rather the opposite.” When Leila and I were together, we weren’t just Dom and sub. We were friends as well. She received the same pleasure as I did. We were in it together. Nothing about it was selfish on my part.

“I just don’t think it’s something I can do. I don’t have the experience.”

I had to make this work. I couldn’t accept no for an answer. “I’ll teach you, Ana.”

She returned her look to her tea again. “I don’t know…”

What could I say to change her mind? But I had a question of my own; why did I want to change her mind so deeply?

“I don’t see what I get out of it.”

“You get a lot out of it, Ana. You’ll be more satisfied than you’ve ever been in your entire life.”

Color flooded her cheeks.

“Trust me.” It was outrageous for me to ask such a thing, but I asked anyway. There was a connection between us. I felt it the second I walked into that coffee shop. The fact that Kate was her roommate only told me something supernatural was at work.

Her eyes darted back to mine. “I just met you, Christian. I don’t know you.”

“But you’re still here.” She didn’t take off after she witnessed the underworld inside of RUIN. She agreed to come to my apartment, and now she was sitting across from me, comfortable.

“I’m not sure why I’m still here. My brain is telling me to leave, but everything else is begging me to stay.”

“Then stay.” If she wanted to walk out of this apartment, I wasn’t sure if I could let her go. “Give me a chance.”

“You’re asking me to be your submissive?”

           

I nodded.

“I need more out of it, Christian. I’m willing to compromise, but I need more.”

My deals were very simple. They could take it or walk away. I’d never made a compromise in my life. My entire company was built on aggressive attacks, not passive leeway. But I would make an exception for her—for reasons beyond my understanding. “What does more mean?”

“I want some of the normal stuff. I want dinner and dates. That’s non-negotiable.”

I stared her down.

“I’m willing to try the things you want in the bedroom, if you’re willing to try new things out of the bedroom.”

When she presented a logical bargain like that, it was difficult to say no. “Okay.”

***

Calloway met me an hour before the rest of the investors arrived. We went over the paperwork in detail for our new food and wellness project. Supplying food to the less fortunate wasn’t just humanitarian—it was smart business.

Once business was taken care of, Calloway breached our common interest. “It didn’t seem like the playroom was used.” He asked a question without actually asking it, giving me the ability to sidestep it if I wished.

“I thought Ana was familiar with the lifestyle. Turns out she’s not.” I watched his expression from his chair in front of my desk. His fingers were interlocked together as his elbows rested on the arms of the chair. That’s when I noticed his right ring finger—his obsidian ring was absent.

“Sometimes it’s not clear.”

I continued to eye the place where his ring should have been. Now it was my turn to ask a question without actually asking it.

Calloway caught on without shifting his position. “Isabella and I are no longer bound to each other. She’s available if you’re interested. I have nothing but good things to say about her time as my sub. She doesn’t have a hard limit, I’ll tell you that.”

Isabella wasn’t my type. She as beautiful and curvy, a woman any man would want. But the second I spotted Ana, she was all I could think about. I didn’t audition different women in my mind for the newly vacated spot. In my eyes, Ana had already filled it. Now I just had to make that assumption a reality. “What happened?”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

“You know me, Cal. Nothing is too crazy.”

           

He rubbed his jaw, his fingers grazing over the thick hair covering his chin. He hadn’t shaved that morning, and now the dark hair was leaving its mark. It contrasted against the gray color of his suit, the sleeves of his white shirt bright with purity. He had blue eyes similar to Ana’s, containing secrets he didn’t share with anyone else. “I went out the other night. It was a small bar, and I was waiting for Jackson to show up. But you know him. That shithead is always late.”

I cracked a smile.

“This woman walked inside.” He paused for so long, reliving the experience behind the privacy of his eyes. Once he found his bearings, he continued. “She was five feet and four inches of pure woman. Wide hips, tiny waist, and tits that made my hands form fists. Everything about her made my blood sing. I couldn’t keep my eyes off her.”

Calloway had never been in a monogamous Dom-sub relationship. As a far as I knew, Isabella had been the only one. That didn’t necessarily mean there was any chance for romantic love. Calloway was closed off from the world, having less of a heart than I did. His father was the biggest asshole on the planet, bigger than any of the men my mom brought home, even those who burned me with cigarettes. Guys like Cal and me didn’t soften over the years. Actually, we calloused even more. Any ability to have something meaningful died within us a long time ago. But his exclusivity with Isabella still surprised me. In the end, it must not have meant anything.

He touched his right ring finger where his ring should have been. “The metal felt hot and heavy, feeling like a burden for the first time. I knew if I weren’t wearing it, I would have stormed over there and did whatever I could to get her in my bed. But I couldn’t…so I didn’t do anything.”

I waited in silence because I knew there was more to this story.

“But her friend she said she spotted her cheating boyfriend standing at the bar. Apparently, the guy is married but sleeps around. So she assumed her friend was talking about me—instead of the guy standing beside me. She marched up to me, her tits shaking and fire in her eyes—and slapped me across the face so hard my cheek turned red.”

My hand balled into a fist as I felt the blood course through me. I remembered the way Elena used to smack me. Nothing ever felt so good.

Calloway closed his eyes for a moment, treasuring the experience like he just relived it. His hand moved to his cheek like he wished he could feel that pain again. Slowly, he pulled it away from his face. “I’ve never been so fucking hard in my life. I was in such a state of shock that I couldn’t speak. All I wanted to do was throw her on the counter and fuck her right then and there. She had one hell of an arm on her. Then she slapped me again. And again.”

My breathing picked up in pace as I pictured Ana doing that to me.

“I didn’t dare tell her she had the wrong guy. It was just so fucking hot. But then her friend finally restrained her. She was so mortified all she did was apologize. But I preferred the stronger version of her, the no-bullshit woman I’d just witnessed. So I asked for her name because that was all I could do in the situation.”

It was an extraordinary experience. If Ana did that to me, I would fall to my knees and ask her to whip me until I bled.

“I went to Isabella the next day and told her we were done.”

“Did you tell her about this woman?”

“Yeah. I was honest, like always.”

“How did she take it?”

           

“Not well,” he said quietly. “Not well at all.”

Sometimes they got attached. It was an inevitable risk.

“But it doesn’t change anything. I have all the information I need to know about Rome. And I’m going to go after her—hard.”

“You think she’s into BDSM?”

“I don’t know,” he answered. “But with ferocity like that, I’m sure she will be soon.” He closed his eyes for a moment like he was picturing her face, wishing he was with her instead of me. Then he opened them again, his eyes darker than they were just a moment ago. “What about Ana?”

“She said she was willing to try.”

“Excellent. Teaching is the best.”

“If I’m willing to do dinner and flowers.”

His eyes darkened in annoyance. “I’m sorry, man.”

“I’m not sure why I agreed to it. Never have before.”

He suddenly chuckled like he knew something I didn’t. “Must be the women. They say when you meet the right one, they turn your world upside down.”

I chuckled because it was ridiculous.

And he chuckled for the exact same reason.

Chapter Five

Christian

When I arrived at her door, I held an arrangement of roses. Deep red and full of vitality, the florist told Taylor they had been picked that morning. Beautiful and oddly pure, they reminded me of the woman I couldn’t stop thinking about.

Ana opened the door, and the moment she saw the flowers, a soft smile crept into her lips. Her eyes brightened like stars in the deepening night, and the small freckles on her nose became more noticeable. Even with such simple reactions, she was breathtaking. I could only imagine how she looked when her mouth was gaping open in a beautiful O. “They’re beautiful. Thank you.” She took the vase from my hands and smelled them. She closed her eyes as she inhaled the scent.

Her eyes were beautiful, but I thought she looked particularly sexy when she closed her eyes, when she concentrated on something in order to appreciate it.

She walked inside and placed them on her small kitchen table. Kate was sitting there with her computer, fighting a smile she couldn’t disguise. She was vocal in her opinions, so the only likely reason why she was quiet right now was because Ana must have asked her to be silent.

Ana grabbed her purse then walked back to the front door. “I’m ready.”

I looked at Kate before I stepped away. “Hello, Miss Kavanagh.”

She kept her eyes on her computer. “Hello, Mr. Grey.”

Ana left the apartment and got into the backseat of my car. Taylor drove us to the restaurant I had Andrea make reservations for. I sat on one side of the car while she stuck to the opposite side. When she didn’t make small talk, I appreciated it. Taylor was an intimate part of my life, but I didn’t like him knowing every single detail. The less she spoke, the better. And I liked the fact she was quiet—or just shy.

We arrived at the restaurant, and when I pulled her chair out for her, she didn’t hide her surprise. Slowly, she sank into the cushion and kept her cool façade. The menu was in front of her, and she read it like she was actually hungry.

Which I doubted.

I ordered wine for both of us, since I understood the best harvests and she didn’t. Then we ordered, and I was pleased to see that she ordered an entrée with sustainable calories. She just better eat it.

A low burning candle sat between us, flickering as waiters disturbed the air around us as they migrated through the restaurant. My eyes were glued to her face, loving those bright blue eyes and that pale skin. All I could think about was the sinister things I would do to her once this dinner was finally over.

I still hadn’t said a word to her, finding myself comfortable in our silence. Most of the time, I had to put on a friendly face when I was working with clients or employees. But with her, I didn’t have to do any of that. She knew what kind of kink I was into. She knew what I wanted from her. We’d reached an understanding a week ago, and now I didn’t need to do anything else.

“You’re quiet.” A basket of bread was in the center of the table. Ana grabbed a piece then ripped off a piece and took a bite.

I watched her lips move as she ate, picturing them wrapped tightly around me as I thrust in and out. “I’m comfortable around you.”

“So you don’t say anything?” She phrased the question like she was amused rather than confused.

“Comfortable silence is the greatest intimacy you can ever have with another person.”

She stopped chewing for a moment before she kept going.

“It’s a compliment.” Calloway and I had these same comfortable silences when we were working together in my office. The silence didn’t need to be filled with bullshit. We said what we needed to say, and we welcomed the lack of needless conversation.

“Well…thanks.” She finished her bread then sipped her wine. She savored the flavor between her lips before she took another drink.

“It’ll go well with your dinner.”

“I’m sure.”

I could ask her how her day was, but all I could think about was how her night would be. I wanted to enter that playroom, tie her up, and fulfill every fantasy that entered my mind. I wanted her naked and ready for me, wet and tight. The only reason why we were doing this dinner was because it was part of the compromise. She got what she wanted, and later, I would get what I wanted.

“Your mother is a doctor, isn’t she?”

“Yes. A very good one.” My adopted parents were great people. I didn’t show them as much affection as I probably should, but I wasn’t capable of showing anyone anything, really.

“And your father is a lawyer?”

I knew she got her information from Wikipedia. “Yeah.” And that meant she knew I was adopted when I was young. But I had a feeling she wouldn’t ask me about that.

“That’s nice.” She grabbed another piece of bread, but instead of eating it, she just played with it. The sound of her smooth voice somehow comforted me. It felt good on the ears. Like gentle running water, she made me feel at peace.

“We should discuss your hard limits before we begin.”

“Begin what?”

“Our relationship.” Your tenure as my sub.

“I’m not sure what a hard limit is.”

Her inexperience was equally arousing and frustrating. “Things you aren’t willing to do.”

“Oh, I see…” She looked down at her bread. “But is that something people talk about on a date?”

Disappointment washed over me when I realized she was right. It wasn’t appropriate romantic talk. If I wanted her to give me all of her, I had to give her what she wanted as well. “How’s the job search?”

“I actually got a job at a publishing house. It’s not the editor position, but I’m not getting coffee either so I’m happy.”

“With a transcript like yours, it would be stupid to make you fetch coffee.”

Her eyebrow rose when she heard what I said. “How do you know what my transcript looks like?”

The same way I knew where she lived. “I have my ways, Anastasia. I know everything about you.”

Instead of being flattered, she seemed put off. “That takes all the mystery away, doesn’t it?”

“Just wanted to be prepared.”

“Well, I’m not a meeting at work. You don’t need to be prepared.”

I disagreed. “If it helps, I liked everything I saw.”

“It doesn’t.” She set the bread on her plate and broke eye contact with me. “If there’s something you want to know, you could just ask. And I know for a fact if I stuck my nose in your business, you wouldn’t care for it.”

She was right. I wouldn’t.

The food was brought to our table and shattered the tense moment. The waiter disappeared, leaving us to our uncomfortable silence.

“Would it help if I apologized?”

“I’m not sure. I can tell you’re a man who’s used to getting what he wants, when he wants it.”

Right on the money. “I am, Anastasia. And I don’t feel bad for that. I exercise control in all things.”

“You sound like a control freak.”

“I am.” Instead of feeling ashamed, I only felt pride. “That’s the kind of man I am, and that’s how I’ll always be.” I wouldn’t change for anyone, not even this beautiful brunette who made my insides turn inside out.

She grabbed her fork but didn’t take a bite of her food. “You’re an enigma, Christian.”

I loved it when she said my name. It somehow felt unique, like no other woman had ever said it. “How so?”

“You want so much from others but are unwilling to give any of yourself in return.” She poked her chicken with her eyes downcast.

Deep inside, I knew she was right. “It’s hard for me to trust people.”

“Why?” She looked up again, staring at me so hard I worried she could really see inside me.

I never told anyone this, not even my parents. For some reason, I wanted to tell her. I wanted to share something more than just a simple meal. “My birth mother was a prostitute. I was there when her pimps would come calling. Food was scarce, and love was even more rare. When she died, I was put into the foster system until my parents adopted me.” I watched her expression, seeing the horror and sympathy slowly creep into her face.

Her eyes watered but no tears fell. She absorbed the information like a sponge, taking in the facts as well as the emotions. She seemed to understand what I felt just by listening to my words.

“I’ve never told anyone that before.” Other than Elena. But she didn’t count. She found me when I was lost and trained me to become a conqueror of my emotions. She gave me a gift no one else ever could. Whatever I felt for Ana was stronger, but they definitely weren’t comparable.

Still speechless, she stared at me.

I held her gaze, not feeling an ounce of sadness for myself. My mother was a crack whore and my dad was a piece of shit. But life went on. I was adopted by two incredible people who only wanted to take care of me. My life could have been a lot worse. I had no room for complaints.

“Christian…I’m sorry.” Her wet eyes locked on to mine.

I wanted her to say my name just like that, but in a different context. “Don’t apologize, Ana. It’s in the past. But I’ve taken something from you without your permission, and now we’re even.”

She nodded slightly, still holding her fork. “I feel like I understand you better, understand the sadness that always burns behind your eyes.”

Maybe she did. Maybe she didn’t. “I feel like I understand you better too.”

“How so?”

“You prefer to go unnoticed. When the focus is on you, you squirm. So when I look at you, really look at you, you feel vulnerable. But with me, you like it because you want me to know more.”

When she stared at me with slightly parted lips, I knew I was right.

I observed people with a keen eye. That was how I reached the height of my success—by understanding people. When you knew the wants and desires of someone, you could collaborate to get nearly anything you wanted. Ana wanted my attention, even my devotion, and I would give it to her.

Just as she would give me what I wanted.

***

The journey to RUIN was spent in silence. She stared out the window with her legs crossed, her hands in her lap.

I glanced at her from time to time, wanting to touch her before we even arrived. I noticed her quickened breaths, saw the flushness of her cheeks, and the slight way she would press her lips together then lick them.

She was nervous—and excited.

We arrived at RUIN and I took her hand, feeling the heat the second we touched, and I walked her inside. The guys at the front recognized my face and let me pass without asking who Ana was.

We entered the darkness and passed the bar, heading to the VIP rooms up the stairs. Just when we entered the hallway, Calloway stepped out of his office in a fitted black suit. Over six feet of muscle, he was easily confused as one of the bouncers. He locked the door behind him before he noticed the pair of us. Immediately, his eyes grinned even though his lips remained neutral. “Have a fun night planned?”

I didn’t answer his question, not wanting to make Ana feel uncomfortable. “Tell Rome I said hi.”

Now he grinned with his lips. “I’ll pass on the message.” He walked past us, never looking at Ana directly in the eye because he knew she was off-limits, just as I would never look directly at Rome if I met her.

We continued down the hall until we entered the playroom in the corner. It was isolated and quiet, soundproofed so we wouldn’t hear any neighbors if they decided to show up. We walked inside and I locked the door behind us. With no windows and only dimly lit lights, it was an entirely different room.

I immediately took off my jacket and tossed it on the nearby chair.

Ana stood next to me, eyeing the room with the same fascination as before. Her face was unreadable. Whether she was repulsed or interested was a mystery.

I studied her face for another moment before I stepped farther into the room. The bed contained red sheets without a frame. The metal at the ceiling was black like the color of obsidian. Every tool was distinctly black inside red velvet containers, reminding me of my own playroom in my apartment.

I decided to start with the most important piece of information. “Your safe word is red. I’ll stop what I’m doing immediately the second you say it. If you start to feel uncomfortable by what I’m doing but don’t want me to stop, say yellow. That way I know I need to slow down.”

She crossed her arms over her chest.

I waited for a question but one never came. “Now, what are your hard limits?”

She glanced at the tray that held butt plugs and anal beads. “Is that what I think it is?”

“What do you think it is?”

“Stuff that goes near my butt.”

If I wasn’t so turned on, I would have actually smiled. “Yes. It is.”

“No, thanks.”

“Have you done it before?”

She released a snort like the suggestion was preposterous. “No.”

“Then how will you know you don’t like it unless you try?”

“Believe me, I just do.”

I didn’t press her on it. Maybe she would change her mind once we built some trust in our relationship. “What else?”

“None of those.” She pointed at a display of whips.

I hid my displeasure. “And?”

She pointed at the flogger. “Nope.”

Now my disappointment reached an all-time high. “Is that it?”

She surveyed the room again. “I think so.”

Good. “What are the sorts of things you do like?”

She stared at me blankly. “What do you mean?”

“The things you particularly like during sex? Being touched in a certain way? A certain position?” This wasn’t just about my pleasure, but about hers as well. Whatever fantasies she had, I could make them come true. Elena liked to be choked sometimes, and I obliged until she came hard.

She suddenly avoided my look and stared at the whips again. “I’m not sure…”

“You aren’t sure what you like?” She couldn’t have hated everything. No man was that inadequate.

“I just don’t have much experience…” She tucked her hair behind her ear. “Or any experience.”

I heard what she said, but it took a full minute to digest her meaning. The conclusion I drew was both wonderful and appalling. “Ana, are you a virgin?” I asked the question point blank because there couldn’t be any confusion. I needed that answer—and I needed it straight.

Warmth filled her cheeks.

And that was my answer.

My arms circled her waist, feeling her petite frame and inhaling her scent at the exact same time. I felt the fabric of her dress and wished it were her bare skin. I pulled her close to me, forcing her to look at me even though she didn’t want to. “Ana.” My voice carried its natural authority.

She looked down rather than into my eyes.

My hands moved to her face, cupping her cheeks and lifting her chin so we were eye to eye. My gray eyes demanded an answer from her.

She didn’t speak but the vulnerability in her eyes told me everything I needed to know.

She was untouched. Pure. Perfect. I pressed a kiss to her forehead and felt the longing overtake me. I wanted to be inside her even more now, to break her in and truly make her mine. I’d never been with a virgin before, and her lack of experience was a red flag, warning me to just walk away.

But now I wanted her more.

“Let’s go.” I stepped away from her and grabbed my jacket.

“Go?” She finally spoke, her voice erupting as a whisper.

“Yes. We shouldn’t be here.”

***

I took her back to my apartment. The second the elevator doors shut behind her, I grabbed her face and kissed her. In the center of my living room and in the darkness, we embraced. My lips devoured her with desperation, and to my liking, she responded with the same desire. Her soft and plump lips grazed past mine with urgency, needing my mouth all over her.

My hands explored her body, feeling those nice hips and tiny waist. I gripped her tightly, unable to stop my hands from shake with excitement. My tongue danced with hers, and when I felt her moan into my mouth, I became rock-hard. I wanted to make her moan all night, to feel the pleasure she’d been missing her entire life.

My hands moved to her face, and I continued the kiss, not wanting to stop but eager to move this into my bedroom. I was about to have vanilla sex, something I’d never done before, but I didn’t care.

I scooped her up against my chest and carried her down the hallway, her arms wrapped around my neck.

“Where are we going?” Her lips were red and swollen from how deeply I kissed her.

“My bedroom.” I walked inside and laid her on the bed. My hands immediately went for her dress, undoing the back and pulling it off without waiting for permission. She was in her black thong and matching bra, her pale skin pearly white.

She was perfect.

I grabbed her thong and pulled it down her long legs, seeing the hair that grew between her legs. I leaned down and kissed her right on the clit, touching the sensitive skin with my warm mouth.

She immediately arched her back and gave an unexpected moan.

I kissed her harder, moving my tongue around her folds and tasting her. Instantly, she was wet, and not just from my kisses. This moment was better than I imagined. I was the first man to kiss her this way, to taste her innate sweetness.

I pulled off her bra then undressed myself, removing my collared shirt and slacks. When I was naked, I moved on top of her, pressing my chest against her. My chest hair rubbed her soft skin, combining our scents together.

She looked up at me with those excited blue eyes, wanting more of what I just gave her. Her hand moved to my arms then migrated toward my chest.

No.

I grabbed her wrists and pinned them against the mattress.

She didn’t fight me. In fact, her eyes lit up like she enjoyed it.

I sucked each of her nipples into my mouth, my spine shivering now that I finally got to do what I wanted. Her small tits were perky, her nipples perfect between my lips. I gave them each a playful bite, making her moan louder.

I fished a condom out of my nightstand and rolled it onto my length with lightning speed, desperate to be inside her. The latex was tight around the base and there was an empty pouch for my seed. I inserted myself in her slowly, sliding completely inside as I felt her body stretch to accommodate my size. I ripped through her hymen immediately, breaking the seal that bound her virginity. She whimpered underneath me, feeling the tissue separate with a few drops of blood. But then she gripped my hands with her hips, her eyes glowing with pleasure. When I rocked into her, she rocked back. “Fuck, you’re beautiful.” She was exclusively mine. I conquered a land no man had ever trekked. I had a woman who never had anyone else. The exclusivity, the privilege, turned me on in a way I never felt before. It was a new experience, even if it was with someone with no experience.

She tried to escape my hold so she could touch me, but she wasn’t strong enough. She kept yielding the control back to me, but a few minutes later, she would try again. Never succeeding.

I moved entirely inside her over and over, watching the expression on her face change as she approached a climax. I couldn’t take her virginity at a place like RUIN. I wasn’t a romantic guy, but I understood it would be distasteful to do something so vulnerable in a dark place such as that. I wanted it just to be the two of us, without anyone nearby to interrupt. I buried myself deep inside her, claiming her as mine and no one else’s.

I knew when she came because she screamed loudly, her eyes rolling back in her head, and her hands immediately fighting mine. She tightened around me, her hold on my length nearly crushing.

I wanted her to say my name, but I didn’t command her to do it. This was vanilla sex. And right now, she wasn’t my sub. She was just a woman, and I was a man.

But she said it anyway when she reached the peak of her orgasm. “Christian…”

Fuck.

She rode her high until it flat-lined, her eyes still full of the exquisite pleasure.

And then I released, filling the tip of the condom with my seed and experiencing the same pleasure. It’d been three months since I’d been with a woman. Leila and I were meant to part ways. So this explosion felt like the best one I’d ever experienced.

She wrapped her legs around my waist and pulled me farther into her, like she wanted to feel my deposit rather than have it captured in a condom.

I could already see the hunger, the need for more. We hadn’t even begun yet, and I recognized the signs of an insatiable woman. Not only did I want her to be my sub, but to be the partner I shared my intimate time with.

Now that I’d taken her virginity, I wanted Ana even more.

Chapter Six

When I woke up the next morning, I wasn’t tired.

In fact, I was restless.

I hadn’t gotten a night of rest like that since…I couldn’t recall. My hand immediately shot out for Ana, the woman who occupied my bed last night. She was the first one to sleep beside me—all night.

When I went into the kitchen, she sat at the table with a slice of buttered toast. She wore my shirt, and it looked good on her.

I fell into the chair beside her, loving the way her face looked without makeup. She must have washed it this morning in the bathroom. She looked just as rested—and satisfied—as I felt. In fact, she looked like a true woman now.

She blushed when I drew near, probably remembering the night before.

I leaned in and kissed the corner of her mouth, bidding her good morning without saying a word.

Her lips trembled at my touch, wanting more and devastated when I pulled away.

“You’re incredible, you know that?” I stared at her hard, fascinated by the creature who helped herself to the contents of my apartment.

“Me?” she asked with a light chuckle. “Why?”

“Twenty-three-year-old virgin. Unheard of.”

She turned back to her toast. “Just never found the right guy…”

And was I the right guy? “That was a new experience for me as well.”

“How so?”

“I’ve never had vanilla sex before.”

“Vanilla?” she asked quietly.

“Without toys or tools. Just sex.”

“Oh…” She took a small bite of her toast.

“I’ve never had a woman sleep in my bed either.” I just met this woman and she’d already changed my life in ways I never expected. If a sub wanted to sleep with me, the answer was always no. If she didn’t like it, she knew where the front door was.

“Seems lonely.”

“Seems like you haven’t had a guy sleep with you either.”

“Not out of principle.”

I watched her nibble her food, picturing her mouth around my length again.

“Well, I guess I should get going…”

Not if I had anything to do with it. “We aren’t done yet.” It was only Saturday. We had all weekend.

“We aren’t?” Her tone was almost playful, but it wasn’t clear.

“Not even close. We’re going into the playroom today.”

“You have one here?”

I nodded.

“Then why did we go to RUIN in the first place?”

“It’s like working at the office. You get a lot more done than if you were to work at home.”

She stared at me blankly like she didn’t understand my reasoning. “I have a few questions about this sub thing…”

“Fire away.”

“The point of it is to hurt me?”

“No.” She couldn’t be more wrong. “It’s about the pleasure and how the pain becomes pleasure. When I smack my palm against your ass, you’ll feel a sting. But that sting will eventually mold into a spasm of pleasure. You’ll see what I mean.”

“Will I?” she challenged.

I stared her down in response.

“What do you get out of hurting me?”

“Like I said, I don’t hurt you. But the control, the power, is what moves me. It’s what pleases me. Punishing you because you deserve it makes me burn from the inside out. And you’ll like to be punished.”

After a moment of silence, she spoke. “Do I get to hurt you?”

“No. I’m the Dominant. You’re the submissive. And for the last time, there is no hurting.”

“Does the man always have to be the Dominant?”

“No.” In fact, I’d been the submissive once before.  

“Are you always the Dominant?”

I didn’t like to discuss my past, but she needed to know me in order to trust me. “I’ve been a submissive once. It was when I started this lifestyle. There were a lot of things I liked about it. But when I left, I was ready to be the Dominant.”

A flash of jealousy moved across her eyes.

“So you will be the submissive. You will do what I say without question. And I will be the one in charge of your pleasure and your experience. You don’t even need to think, just feel.”

She looked away.

“Do you have any other questions?”

She finished the last piece of her toast. “I’m not sure why I’m here because that doesn’t sound appealing to me at all.”

But she gave me her virginity, so she was here for a reason. “I think you should keep an open mind and find out. If you really weren’t interested, you wouldn’t be here now—sitting with me.”

When she didn’t have an argument, she pushed her plate away.

Now that I had a taste of her, I wanted more. I want her every second until she left on Monday and I returned to work—maybe not even then. “Shower and get ready.”

“For?”

“You know what, Anastasia.” I left the table to get myself a cup of coffee.

“Call me Ana. It’s what I prefer.”

I didn’t care what she preferred. “Your name is Anastasia. And that’s what I’ll call you.”

***

She stood naked in the playroom, her beautiful skin flawless and unmarked. I stood behind her and grabbed a handful of hair. Then I braided it quickly and pulled it over one shoulder. “This is how your hair will be when I enter the room. Now get on your knees.”

“Why—”

“You do as I say. No questions.” I grabbed her shoulder then gave her a gentle push toward the floor.

She lowered herself and sat with her knees folded underneath her.

“This is how you will sit when you wait for me.” I removed my shirt and undid the top button of my jeans. I grabbed a whip from the display case and came back to her. “Do you understand?”

She looked at me with disobedience, like she didn’t understand at all.

“I’m going easy on you today. This defiance would normally be punishable.”

She finally answered. “Yes.”

“Yes, what?”

“I understand.”

“I understand, sir.” She needed to properly address me at all times.

She didn’t give me any lip about it. Her natural conflict reminded me of myself. It was nearly impossible to tell me to do anything. It was the way I ran my company, giving all the orders and never taking any myself.

I grabbed the thick black lace and placed it over her eyes, tying it in the back so she couldn’t see a thing. Then I ran the whip along her shoulders, letting the leather brush across her skin with softness. I ran it down the back of her neck, down her spine, and to the top of her ass. Then I gave her a gentle slap.

She straightened and let out a tiny yelp.

I moved the leather over her skin again, gently touching her until I gave her another soft whack.

She jumped again.

“On your hands and knees.”

She sat still for several long seconds before she finally complied. She moved to her hands and knees, her ass in the air.

“I’m going to whip you five times. And you’re going to count.”

Her breathing picked up and she tensed, like she expected it to hurt.

I whacked her on the ass, hitting her with enough force to make her skin turn red. But it wasn’t strong enough to actually hurt her.

She was silent.

“Anastasia.” I commanded her without giving her direction.

“One.”

“Good girl.” I smacked her again, being just as gentle as before.

“Two.” Once she realized it wouldn’t be that bad, she relaxed.

I smacked her again, a little harder. Her ass turned red.

“Three.” Her voice came out shaky, different than it had been a moment ago.

I smacked her with a little more force.

She took a deep breath before she spoke. “Four.” Her breathing was heavy and her back was arched.

“Last one. Let’s make it count.” I rubbed the leather against her cheek, soothing the irritated skin. Then I smacked her harder than I had before. My heart was pounding with adrenaline and sweat marked my forehead. I wanted to drop my pants and kneel right behind her.

She didn’t count the last one.

“Ana.”

She pressed her lips tightly together.

“Ana.” She didn’t want me to repeat myself. “Count or I’ll punish you.”

Silence.

“Do you want me to punish you?”

After a long pause, she answered. “Yes.” The desperation was in her voice, the need to feel the whip against her ass again.

I stood still, shock rolling over me in waves. Her obvious vulnerability made me question if she was fit for this role. But the second we got started, she molded to it. Like she’d been doing it for years, she was a natural.

“And whip me harder.”

I nearly dropped the whip on the floor. She was begging me for more because what I’d given her wasn’t enough. When I spotted her in that coffee shop, I knew I had to have her. But now I couldn’t believe I could ever want her more.

I pulled back the whip and struck her on the ass—hard.

Her body jerked with the movement and she let out a moan. “One.”

I gripped the whip tighter, my chest aching from all the deep breaths I took. I flung my arm and hit her harder.

“Two.” She arched her back deeper, her breathing out of control.

“Remember the safe word.” She seemed to handle it, but I could’ve been wrong.

“I know the safe word,” she said. “I don’t need it.”

My hand automatically responded, and I whipped her across the cheek again, making the spot fester with redness.

She held herself upright, looking like a queen on the floor. “Three.”

Now I wasn’t sure if I was the one who could make it to five. I wanted to fuck her right then and there. I struck her again.

“Four. Make the last one count, Christian.”

Goddamn. I smacked her harder than ever before, slapping the whip against her skin with a loud clap.

She lowered her head to the floor, her breathing still haywire. After a moment of regaining her balance, she breathed a response. “Five.”

I dropped the whip to the floor, where it made a loud thud once it hit the red rug. My hands were shaking in desperation because my need was so great. Hearing her count those whips with vigor made my blood sing.

I gripped her by the shoulders and hoisted her onto the bed, her rear still in my direction so I could see the redness from my handiwork. I stood at the foot of the bed with my hips in line with her. After I yanked off my boxers, I swung free and rolled myself in a condom. I thrust myself inside her with one fluid motion. I was met with an unbelievable slickness, her arousal in competition with mine. “Anastasia…” I sunk into her, cherishing the indescribable feeling. My hand snatched the back of her hair, and I yanked on it harder than I meant to. My hips bucked into her, and I rocked the bed, staring at the irritated skin from the bite of my whip.

After I was buried inside her, she rocked her hips back against me. She took my length with the same vigor, just as desperate to have me as I was to have her. She wasn’t exactly the kind of submissive I pictured. She should have been more docile and indifferent. But she took me by surprise and wanted to be whipped more—just for the hell of it.

Who the hell was this woman?

I pinned her to the mattress and moved on top of her, thrusting her hard into the springs. Our bodies moved together as I pounded into her, wanting more than she could possibly give. Her moans grew louder, and I listened to them like music. I knew the moment she hit her trigger because she screamed.

And she became so tight.

“Christian…”

I rested my face against her ear, breathing hard into her canal as I continued my thrusts. Listening to her moans of satisfaction and feeling just how soaked she was made me rip in half right down the center. My hands balled into fists as I inserted myself completely inside her, releasing everything I had into the tip of the condom. “Fuck, Ana.” I breathed heavily as I finished my high, depositing my entire soul into the latex and wishing it were nothing but her.

When I was finished, I didn’t want to pull away like I usually did. I wanted to stay there forever, my sweat-soaked chest pressed against her curved and smooth back. We breathed at the same pace, in tune to one another perfectly. My lips found her hairline, and I pressed a gentle kiss there, giving her the kind of affection I didn’t know I was even capable of.

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Ms. Christian Grey